The former Richmond Mansion of Batavia will now be recognized with a historical marker.

Built in the 1830s by Colonel William Davis and enlarged by Dean and Mary Richmond in the 1850s, it stood in the parking lot that now serves St. Joseph’s Church and the Richmond Memorial Library. It was also the location of the Children's Home.

City of Batavia Historian Larry Barnes says Dean Richmond amassed a fortune in Great Lakes shipping and was instrumental in bringing the State School for the Blind to Batavia. It was a grand structure, Barnes says, but it obviously isn’t there anymore.

“It was torn down in 1970 and became the property of the school district,” Barnes said. “The school district had proposed to build a replacement library on that location; that was rejected by voters. After a loud debate of what to do with the building, they tore it down. Four years later it was sold to St. Joseph’s for a parking lot.”

The marker is placed at the foot of the walkway between the parking lot and the Library. It was funded by a $1,050 grant to the City from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse.

Pavilion Man Accused on String of Arsons in Livingston County

A Pavilion man is jailed in Livingston County on $10,000 bail accused of a string of arsons.

Last night at around 8 firefighters in Livingston County responded to a barn fire in York and found that someone intentionally set it on fire with an aerosol can and papers.

The Sheriff’s Office says 48-year-old Dennis McGrath allegedly set three fires in the Town of York over the past several weeks.

They tied him also to, first, a Sept. 26 fully-involved barn fire in Cowan Road which was a total loss, as well as several round bales of hay that were ignited the next day on Limerick Road. Both fires were determined to be arsons.

The Sheriff’s Office was able to recover the torches and tools from McGrath’s home. He’s charged with felony counts of Arson and Burglary as well as Petit Larceny. Authorities say more charges are expected.

33 Calves Perish in Thruway Tractor-Trailor Fire

More than 30 calves were killed after a tractor trailer carrying cattle caught fire on the Thruway near LeRoy.

According to the Associated Press, troopers say almost 150 calves were loaded off the truck, but another 33 either died or had to be euthanized due to injuries.

The burning truck shut down both lanes of traffic for 20 minutes overnight.